Blackburn: New hoops coaches have golden opportunities

Dec. 1, 2006

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Sports Writer

SAM BLACKBURNSports Writer

Between Jeff Rinkes, Josh Rodich and Matt Fisher, there is plenty of optimism to go around.

All three enter the Muskingum Valley League boys basketball scene as new head coaches, in surroundings with which each are unfamiliar.

Rinkes, Philo's new coach, comes from a football hotbed in Kenton. Rodich, the new man at Crooksville, is a Lancaster native who played for Tri-Valley coach Tim Shumaker at Fisher Catholic. And Fisher brings prior coaching experience from Marion Catholic to New Lexington.

All face substantial challenges.

All three schools have seen better days. Philo hasn't produced a winning season since Terry Kelley was coach. Greg Woodard was the man in charge the last time Crooksville could say that, and New Lexington never had one under Ken Stocker, whose teams lost a litany of close games in his tenure.

Change must be imminent.

Rinkes has to get Philo to play team defense, stay out of foul trouble and not be a two-man show between guards Scott and Todd Williams. A new offense has taken time for his players to master but should be beneficial long term.

Rodich needs to convince an experienced Crooksville team that it can finally compete - no small task, considering the Ceramics haven't had a winning season since 1998-99. Its last two seasons have been 0-21 and 1-20, respectively.

Few schools statewide can claim that level of ineptitude, and shedding that losing mentality won't be easy, especially at a school that has never been known for its basketball.

But with so many players back from last year - all but one, in fact - Rodich feels like there is potential there to make a substantial jump.

"They're hungry," Rodich said of his team. "They're tired of losing."

The Panthers have done plenty of losing too, but you wouldn't know it by talking to Fisher, who raves about his team's basketball knowledge, overall intelligence and chemistry.

His Panthers return most of their cast from 2005-06, including one of the league's more versatile players in 6-3 forward Lane Hollingshead, a good outside shooter in 6-2 Mitchell White and a proven point guard in 5-11 Jimmy Russell.

Those three alone are enough to think that Fisher might be right about this group.

The common ground of these three guys? All are excited to be where they are.

Rinkes is more than happy to be in Philo, a place where he doesn't have to deal with unruly players or nightly calls from probation officers, like he did at his former home.

Rodich said upon his hiring that he'll be forever grateful to Crooksville for extending him an opportunity, and that he appreciates the effort his players have given him.

And Fisher? He's fitting into the Perry County seat like a winter mitten.

"I've only been here since the summer, and I feel like I've lived here my whole life," Fisher said. "I really like the community here. Everyone has been really supportive of me. The parents, the teachers, the administration ... Everybody."

It's easy to be optimistic at the beginning, when everyone has a clean slate, and the coaches haven't experienced the lingering issues that always seem to hold losing programs back. There's a reason why these schools tend to go through coaches like women change clothes.

But it can be done.

Few thought Woodard would win in Crooksville because he was unproven. He'd never been a head coach before - certainly not at a basketball graveyard like Crooksville. By the time he left, however, there was a sectional title and district runnerup in the trophy case.

Even fewer thought Todd Van Reeth, now at Solon, would lead Philo to a stretch of dominance that culminated with a berth in the state title game in 1999. He should have had that state title, too.

And Paul Albanese took New Lex to the regional finals behind standout big man Jesse DuPerow and a young cast of talented guards, and DuPerow eventually made multiple appearances on the All-OAC team at Marietta College.

A little confidence can go a long way. Confidence can't happen without hope. Hope can't happen without optimism.